NATO has been a guarantor of security and freedom for 75 years – Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is showing us all too clearly how valuable this is. At the summit in Washington the focus will be on what the Alliance, which now brings security to almost a billion citizens in 32 NATO countries, can do to perform even better and also to support Ukraine yet more effectively.

To this end, the member states will agree on goals for further expanding deterrence and defence of the Alliance in order to protect each and every individual. Strengthening the arms industry will play a key role here. The Allies have already significantly expanded their defence capabilities, especially since the start of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Today, 23 members of the Alliance spend more than two percent of their gross domestic product on defence. Germany, too, has achieved this goal this year.

Support for Ukraine at the centre of the summit

A central issue of the summit will be strengthening support for Ukraine. The Allies are aiming for NATO to play a greater coordinating role, specifically in supporting the development of Ukrainian armed forces capable of fending off Russia’s aggression. To this end, next year the NATO member states once again intend to make available to Ukraine funding to the tune of at least 40 billion euro, to be reviewed at future summits. The NATO-Ukraine Council, which was established at the last NATO summit in Vilnius, is meeting for the second time at the level of heads of state and government. It is designed to bring Ukraine closer to NATO by means of practical cooperation.

European Union leaders and the Heads of State and Government of Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea will also attend a meeting within the framework of the summit. Alongside support for Ukraine, the meeting will focus on joint challenges in the information arena, such as countering cyberattacks and disinformation.

Sweden participating for the first time at heads of government level

New NATO member Sweden is participating in the summit for the first time as an Ally at the level of heads of state and government. This NATO summit will be the last for outgoing Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. From 1 October, Mark Rutte from the Netherlands will assume this function, as agreed by the NATO members at the end of June.